The All Seeing Eyes
by Aegis100
Summary: An American high school student is studying a year abroad at the prestigious Kuoh Academy and his life is changed forever- but not in the way that he thinks it will. (Smart OC) (OC x ?) (Issei x ?)
1. Chapter 1

Key:

**Powerful being talking**

**[Powerful being talking telepathically]**

'Thinking'

"Speaking vocally"

Disclaimer:

I do not own any characters or content in the Highschool DxD universe.

Author's Note:

This is the first story I've written in about a year and I'm still going to be getting back into the groove of writing for these first couple chapters. I need to find my narrative writing style again. Anyways, this story is rated M for a reason and I also use slang terms in my writing. For non-US or even people from other regions of the US, you may need to use urban dictionary for these terms. I'll keep it to a minimum for parts where English isn't being spoken.

I've also decided to keep the pairings on the characters list ambiguous until they're actually officially confirmed. You might be able to guess by the characters listed of who is pairing up with who, though. Anyways, please enjoy the story and if you have any criticisms or other thoughts, please feel free to shoot me a PM or leave a review.

* * *

The video opened to a white wall, with the camera being at head level.

"Alright, and we are good."

A lean teen then entered the frame. He had a light brown complexion, medium length curly hair that was cut short on the sides, and black glasses. He adjusted himself to be in the center of the frame and looked into the camera with chocolate eyes, clearing his throat.

"Hi. I'm John and I'm from Port Hueneme, California. I'm in Kuoh, Japan for a study abroad program for a year and I'll be attending Kuoh Academy as a third year. I wanted to document my experience in these video diaries for anyone who also wants to or is considering doing this. I just arrived at my host family's house and I'm liking it quite a bit so far. My host family has three members: the son, Issei Hyoudou, the mom, and the dad. To be honest, I don't know what their names are and during our calls, they just told me to call them by Okaa-san and Otou-san respectively. They're a pretty young couple- around 35-40 years old. I've made friends with Issei, he's thirsty af, but, he is still a nice guy outside of that. However, I don't think I'm going to hang out with him when school starts in two days on Monday and I'm going to try to make some friends within my grade."

John pauses for a breath, thinking.

"My Japanese skills are good, but they are definitely not anywhere near a native speaker level so hopefully that doesn't make me an outcast or anything. I hope some people speak English there and my host family will help me a lot with getting better at Japanese. Before I sign off, I wanted to show you guys my school uniform."

John rushes off frame, and rustling is heard in the background as well as the ripping of plastic wrap. After ten seconds or so, John comes back with a black suit jacket with white highlights, a black silk ribbon, a white and black striped collared button-down, black slacks, and dark brown dress shoes. He shows each item off to the camera before he begins talking.

"This is it. I've always lowkey wanted to wear a school uniform but I've never had the chance to. As for the uniform itself, it's nice albeit I now see why people would get annoyed about wearing a suit every day. If I ever get tired of it I'll just modify it a bit, I guess. I don't want to get in trouble for an improper uniform on my first day though so I'll just keep it the way it is for now. Anyways, if you have any criticisms or praise for me, please comment below. My DMs are also open, but not in the way that you think...or maybe they are? Who knows. But, please subscribe if you want to see more content like this. Thank you for watching, and goodbye."

* * *

John's POV

After I finish talking, I reach over to my janky phone tripod on a stack of my suitcase and the bed and stop recording. I don't know how to edit, and maybe a max of like five people will watch my series anyway so there's not really a point. It's more for me to be honest.

I tap the upload button, and while I wait, I disassemble my tripod, wash my face, and brush my teeth. It was about midnight, and I had to go shopping tomorrow to get some much needed extra clothes and generally explore around town. I think Issei would rather stay in his room all day and jack off than go with me, and I wouldn't ask my host parents, so I guess I'll go alone. There's always Google maps. But, I think the nearest place to get clothes is the mall downtown.

I checked on my phone again, and the video was done uploading. Thank God for fast Japanese internet. I laid down, plugging my phone in and placing it on the nightstand. My host family had furnished the room in a western style, and I was quite thankful. I set my alarm for nine and drifted off into the land of blackness and fantasies.

* * *

**9 AM, Sunday**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I swear I have a panic attack every time I hear that sound. It took a few minutes of looking at my phone, but I eventually dragged myself out of bed. I took a shower then got dressed in my go-to dark blue jeans and a navy blue UC Berkeley shirt. If this didn't scream "foreigner who needs new clothes and friends" I didn't know what would. I looked at myself in the mirror and mentally prepared to speak Japanese for the rest of the day. After a couple seconds, I opened my door.

Immediately, I was blasted with the aroma of tea, eggs, and rice. I headed downstairs, seeing that Issei was sat on the couch watching anime, his dad was at the wooden table reading a newspaper, and his mom was in the kitchen. I walked up behind Issei and said,

"Hello, Issei-kun."

He glanced up at me, but then glued his eyes back onto the TV.

"Hi, John-kun." He nonchalantly responded. I nodded and walked past the table, greeting my Otou-san as I did. He just nodded and went back to reading his newspaper. I peeked my head in the kitchen, saying,

"Hi, Okaa-san. It smells great!"

She smiled and turned towards me, lifting up her spatula in her right hand.

"Hi, John-kun. The eggs and rice will be ready soon. There's tea on the table."

I nodded, sitting down at the table and pouring myself tea. After a minute or two, I asked my "dad"(A/N: I'll refer to him as Otou-san in all instances from now on) a question.

"Otou-san, do you know of a place I could lift weights?"

I played soccer back home, but I wasn't buff by any means. I needed to bulk up on my upper body and I hoped that there was a soccer club at Kuoh Academy or nearby that I could join to keep up my skills and make some friends. It was essentially competitive stress relief. Otou-san looked up from his newspaper and thought for a second, and responded.

"Yeah, there's a place about three kilometers to the east."

"Thanks Otou-san, I'll go today."

I smiled at him. He smiled back before going back to his newspaper. Okaa-san then served our breakfast of scrambled eggs on rice after she called Issei over to eat.

After eating, I decided to head out and begin my grand adventure for the day. During breakfast, I had learned that Kuoh Academy was about a kilometer to the south and the mall was two kilometers to the west. I decided that I would first go shopping, then go home to drop off what I got, then check out the Academy, and check out the gym near the end of the day.

* * *

**Kuoh Mall**

**1 PM, Sunday**

Clothes shopping is both exciting and exhausting, especially without a second opinion. I had bought a new wardrobe with everything I would need, but I also had to walk home with all of this. I honestly don't know if I'll survive. I saw a pretty nice park on the walk over, it had a fountain in the middle of it with some grass and trees filling the rest of it. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it's nice to know that there is a place to practice soccer if I want to.

I blinked my eyes and shook my head, realizing I had just been rubbing the same pair of jeans in my hand while I zoned out. Sleep deprivation is one hell of a drug, I thought to myself, smiling. But, there was something that really caught my attention. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a streak of the reddest hair I had ever seen. I wasn't usually someone to go after redheads, but this hair was different, and the girl was the hottest one I'd ever seen. Right up there with Kate Upton and Alexandra Daddario. But, there was also someone that looked just as hot with black hair tied up in a ponytail. They looked around my age, but I couldn't tell from the back. I was captivated for a few seconds as they looked at a new striped top, but then I realized what I was doing. I needed to get out of this store.

* * *

**Hyoudou Residence**

**3 PM, Sunday**

It had been a long walk. Ten bags without something to put them in is not good, to say the least. My hands somehow didn't break on the way and I managed to haul everything up to my room. I guess now I should go to the academy? I didn't have anything else to do today besides go to see that gym, so might as well. I said goodbye again and headed out the door.

* * *

**Kuoh Academy**

**3:45 PM, Sunday**

I had found a hole in the wall udon shop on the way when I realized that I had forgotten to eat lunch, but I reached the academy in a good time regardless.

The campus was one of the most beautiful I'd seen, especially for a high school. It had a sophisticated look with norman windows and western architecture with sweeping well-trimmed grass fields around the buildings. For once, I was actually excited to be at school because of the campus. From what I've heard, the academics are one of the best in Japan as well. Just what I was looking for. I decided to walk around for a bit before sitting down against a tree. There were a lot of questions going through my mind.

Will I find friends?

Which clubs should I join?

Was I going to understand the teachers?

How competitive is it here?

I had a lot going against me here. Back home, I was one of the best in my class and I hoped to transfer that here. Anything else would be a disappointment to myself if I'm being honest. I sat against the tree for a while, thoughts rushing through my head.

Am I good enough?

Yes. Of course.

That was in America, not here.

...

What the fuck am I doing?

* * *

**Hyoudou Residence**

**9 PM, Sunday**

I carefully laid out my uniform for tomorrow, triple-checking that everything was there. I had even practice tied the ribbon into something resembling what it was supposed to be. Good enough.

After that incident at the tree, I didn't feel like checking out the gym. That could wait for another day. I hadn't had these types of self-doubts for a while, but it was understandable why they were coming back. All I could do at this point was to try to maintain my positivity and push through it. If I couldn't, then this year might be a tough one. It is what it is.

I slipped into bed, turning over to set my alarm for 7:30. I wanted to be at school by 8:30 because I needed to be in my class by 8:35 so an hour should give me enough time to wake up and get ready.

I drifted off to sleep yet again, but not nearly as peacefully as yesterday.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

And John begins his first day of school tomorrow! I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading. I can't make any promises on when the next chapter will be out, but I am really motivated to write this story right now and I'll do my best to keep up with it.

If you've enjoyed the story so far or have any thoughts, then please follow, favorite, leave a review, or PM me!


	2. Chapter 2

Key:

**Powerful being talking**

**[Powerful being talking telepathically]**

'Thinking'

"Speaking vocally"

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any characters or content in the Highschool DxD universe.

* * *

**7:30 AM, Monday**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

What a great sound to start my morning off with. Today is the day. Not wasting any time, I rolled out of bed and began heating up the water while I brushed my teeth. After two minutes of brushing, I entered the stream of hot water. My stomach was a weird mix of anxiety and excitement that was both the best and worst feeling.

I stepped out of the shower, drying myself and putting on my school uniform. I adjusted my hair in the mirror and put on my glasses. I decided to give myself a pep talk before I went to eat breakfast.

"You can do this. Find some people that speak English and bond. The only thing holding you back is yourself."

I did a final deep breath through my nose and mouth, grabbed my backpack, and opened the door. As I headed downstairs, I saw Issei eating his breakfast of miso soup with another bowl laid out across from him. I pulled out the chair, sitting down and saying,

"Good morning. Are you excited?"

He perked up, changing his focus from his bowl to me. He responded excitedly.

"Of course! I get the opportunity to peek and look at oppai all day! School is where I thrive!"

I shook my head, chuckling.

"You don't actually peek at girls, do you?"

"Of course I do."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. This fucking guy.

"You are a special man Issei-san."

The rest of the breakfast was eaten in silence, and before I knew it, we were walking out the door to the academy. The walk was nice, with the street being lined with trees that gently swayed with the warm morning breeze. At about 8:15, we arrived at the school gates. Issei had given me directions to the student council's office, who apparently ran things at the school. It might be interesting to join that. Positions are probably elected, though.

As I opened the door into the main school building, Issei said goodbye and went off to do whatever he does. But, I do have to say that the interior of the school did not disappoint. It had a white and gold theme with marble floors and walls adorned with periodically placed poster boards littered with PSAs and advertisements for clubs. The people here are so spoiled.

* * *

**Student Council's Office**

**8:25 AM, Monday**

I stood in front of a girl with a black bowl cut, glasses, and violet eyes who also spoke perfect English for some reason. She seemed quite strict, though, so maybe not the best option for a friend. I doubt she had any time outside of her responsibilities anyways. She was currently sifting through some of my papers that I handed her. After she was done, she looked up at me.

"Welcome to Kuoh Academy, Faraday-san. I am Sona Shitori, the Student Council President. You'll be in Class 3-A with me, so follow me and I'll take you to your classroom."

She stood up and proceeded out of the room, I followed her and caught up with her after a couple of steps. I did have a question for her, though.

"How do you speak such good English?"

There was a very slight shift in her expression but it was quickly masked. That's weird, maybe she wasn't expecting the question?

"My family used to live in America before I was born, so I was brought up speaking both Japanese and English."

I nodded, accepting the answer. I guess it makes sense, but there was definitely more to it. She abruptly paused at a door labeled 3-A. Guess we had made it.

"Feel free to sit wherever you want, but keep in mind that you're going to be keeping that seat for the rest of the year."

I nodded again as she opened the door. The class was 100% girls! It was a shock, to say the least. Luckily, no one noticed me as Sona walked up to the front and took a seat that was being saved for her. There was a selection of desks available, but none near the front. Less than ideal for actually hearing the teacher, but I guess a seat in the back corner would have to do. Over the next few minutes, people filled in, leaving two seats to the left of me empty. It felt like everyone was ignoring me, which could be good or bad, depending on who you are. I just decided to look out the window to pass the time.

Sometime around 8:40, the door opened a final time, revealing... the two girls I saw at the mall? They both scanned the room, then the black-haired one pointed to the empty seats right by me, then me, whispering something in the crimson-haired girl's ear.

Shit. They were way hotter from the front!

This can really only go two ways. Really bad or really good. Best case scenario they leave me alone and let me learn in peace. Worst case scenario, they talk to me and I can't focus because of certain...physiological changes in my body when engaging in such actions.

The raven-haired one sat in the desk next to me, then turned to me, showing off her "assets" in the stretching uniform. I cleared my throat and looked out the window. Please don't talk to me.

"Ara ara, aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

This was going to be a tough year.

* * *

**1 PM, Monday**

So, it turns out they were actually pretty chill. They also spoke perfect English, which has helped a lot, but I have no idea why they do. The redhead's name is Rias Gremory(definitely foreign-explains the English) and the black-haired teasing one is named Akeno Himejima(definitely not foreign-will have to investigate). After explaining my situation to them, Akeno offered to translate for me and help me with the parts I didn't understand, and I would do the same if she didn't understand something. They were really smart and seemed like they were at the top of the class as well. I also learned that Kuoh Academy was apparently an all-girls school a couple years ago, which explains the 100% girl ratio and why Issei would want to come here so badly. Anyways, we were now having lunch together in our desks.

I opened my lunch of chicken and rice that Issei's mom had given me. I really lucked out with my host family. I was about to take a bite when Akeno started talking.

"So John-kun, why'd you decide to come to Kuoh?"

I thought for a second, holding my chicken in the air with my chopsticks before responding.

"Well, I didn't want to go to a major city so that ruled out the vast majority of programs, and Kuoh had everything I needed. Even besides that, I still had a tough decision. My gut told me to go to Kuoh and it looks like I made the right choice."

I ate my chicken and went to grab some rice, but Akeno went back to her teasing voice, responding.

"Ara ara John-kun, is that because of us or something else?"

I froze mid-bite, and if my skin was just a shade lighter, I would've looked like I just got murdered. I would have to get used to her. I didn't think it could get any worse, but then Rias chimed in, looking at me with the cutest smile I've ever seen.

"Akeno, you can't tease John-kun like that yet, it's his first day here."

By this point, I had somehow managed to swallow, and I was finally able to squeak something out. Here goes.

"If you keep smiling like that, Rias-chan, then it will be because of you."

"Wha-"

Rias' face turned the same color as her hair, and thankfully the pressure was off me now. Akeno turned to Rias, and I lost(again). I need to do some training.

"So the prey has become the predator. Showing us your dominant side I see, John-kun?"

This might not be so bad after all.

* * *

**Outside of Kuoh Academy**

**4 PM, Monday**

"John-kun, I don't think you realize the implications of what you just did. You are dead if anyone finds out about this."

Issei became surprisingly intelligent when girls were involved. To give some context, we were now walking home after school and I had just told him about Akeno and Rias.

"I don't get what the big issue is. Sure, they're the hottest girls I've ever seen. But, they're also my classmates. What's so wrong with talking with them?"

"Look, those are the two most popular girls in school. They are worshipped for good cause. If the rest of the male population hears about this, then I don't know what will happen. You're lucky that today we didn't go outside of our classes."

Issei was right, I guess. Them being basically perfect and speaking English was weird, you never meet someone like that-let alone two in the same place and they're best friends. And the most popular girls were interested in making friends with an exchange student? I don't know what they wanted from me, but it was definitely something. Or maybe they're just nice people and I'm being pessimistic. I'll have to do some investigating.

"You make a good point. I'll try to keep it in mind. Thanks, Issei-kun."

Issei smiled and pointed his thumb to his chest, exclaiming:

"Of course! To be a harem king I need to know a lot about girls!"

"Yes, Issei-kun, with all of that knowledge I'm sure that you'll have girls on you in no time."

Little did I know how right I was.

* * *

**4:10 PM, Monday**

After Issei's parents texted him that they'd be going out tonight, we decided to stop by 7-11 to get some dinner. It was a tough decision, but I decided to play it risky and go with some spicy ramen. Issei picked up some salmon Onigiri, and we were on the road again, but not for long.

When we were crossing the road about halfway to our house, this random girl ran up to Issei from out of nowhere. She looked to be about Issei's age and had violet eyes, raven hair, and a great figure. She resembled Akeno, but I doubt they're related. She ignored me for the most part, though I saw her glance at me a couple times.

"Are you Hyoudou-san?"

Issei was, of course, very surprised that this girl would be interested in him. I could see him crumbling. It was hilarious.

"Y-yeah I am Hyoudou Issei."

She moved to about two feet away from Issei's chest, pushing me out of the way as she did. That pissed me off, but I also didn't want to ruin Issei's chance. He would kill me if I did.

"Issei-kun, I've been watching you since last year. Would you...please go out on a date with me?"

I don't think anyone was expecting that. There was definitely something suspicious going on now. Issei's face was frozen, and it took him a solid second or two to recover from that line.

"S-sure."

"Great! You won't regret it, Issei-san! Here's my number, text me."

She gave Issei a kiss on the cheek before turning around and giving me a murderous glare then happily skipping off. One more thing to find out about. I looked over at Issei, who was still frozen. I patted his back and readjusted my bag.

"That was unexpected. Anyways, let's go. I'm getting hungry."

* * *

**Next time on The All Seeing Eyes:** Issei goes on a date and John becomes a detective.

**Authors Note:**

Alright. Hopefully the story isn't moving too fast, and please let me know if you guys have any thoughts. PMs are open and I will reply to any reviews I get.

**Thanks for reading! If you have any thoughts, feel free to leave a review and please follow and favorite if you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

Key:

**Powerful being talking**

**[Powerful being talking telepathically]**

'Thinking'

"Speaking vocally"

Disclaimer:

I do not own any characters or content in the Highschool DxD universe.

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed the last two chapters. Updates will come a bit slower now unless I get a random spur of inspiration. I stayed up until like 5 AM the last two finishing those chapters so I can't do that again. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Hyoudou Residence**

**7 PM, Monday**

After we ate our dinner, Issei and I were sitting at the dining room table. It had taken about two hours for Issei to recover from his shock and actually start talking, but he was back to his old self.

"My road to being a harem king has officially begun! I'll have ten girls by the end of high school!"

I chuckled, leaning back and putting my arm over the back of my chair.

"I think you'll have to lock down this girl first, Issei-kun. What was her name again?"

Issei opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he paled.

"Ah...I don't know...I forgot to ask..."

He held his head in his hands and I decided to drive it home.

"My point exactly. You should probably text her now."

"Good idea!"

Issei's hands blurred as he grabbed his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it and furiously typing. I didn't know Issei could move that fast, but I guess anything is possible when girls are involved.

Speaking of, there was some weird shit going on. Either the stars were aligning for Issei and I and we were getting extremely lucky, or there was some manipulation going on behind the scenes. Maybe this was just a really elaborate prank played on the two losers by some hot chicks. I really had no idea at this point, but I needed to find out. It would make Issei's and my life much simpler. I was going out, but I had to confirm some details with Issei first.

"So Issei, has she responded yet?"

"Yeah, it was a bit awkward but her name is Yuuma Amano."

"Have you decided on the time and location for the date yet?"

"Eh, she said we should meet on Wednesday at six at the mall."

I nodded, smiling at Issei. I had gotten everything I needed. I got up from my chair and headed up to my room.

"I'm happy for you Issei. I'm going to go change and take a walk around town, I should be back by ten or eleven."

"Ok, see you then."

Issei didn't even look up from his phone when he responded. He was hopeless.

When I got to my room, I put on a charcoal black hoodie and jeans that I had just bought at the mall. I may need to do some running, so I left my glasses at home- I just needed them for my lazy eye anyways. I took a final drink of water before heading to the front door, putting on my black running shoes when I got there.

"Cya later, Issei-kun."

* * *

**The Streets of Kuoh**

**8:30 PM, Monday**

As I walked around Kuoh, I tried to piece together all of the clues given to me, but I still had a nagging feeling that this was all a setup for something. It would be one thing if it was just Yuuma, but Rias and Akeno taking interest in me in the same day was too much of a coincidence. I felt like I just kept repeating that to myself, and I had no idea what to do about my gut feeling. I felt like I was being clowned on.

At this point, I decided that I was actually going to do something instead of wandering around a city I didn't know. Maybe I'll check out a local temple, those should still be open, right? Issei's parents had told me about a small one on top of a hill overlooking Kuoh along with the locations of a couple others. I needed the cardio, so why not? I took off in a jog, using my phone's compass for direction.

* * *

**Akeno's Shrine**

**9:30 PM, Monday**

Note to self: going up a hiking path with only your phone's flashlight and no moonlight is a bad idea. Luckily, I hadn't seen anything that would kill me and I had made it up the path after thirty minutes or so. What stood in front of me was a well maintained Shinto shrine, complete with the red gate and everything else. It was well lit, and I assumed that there would be a welcoming shrine maiden or man waiting for me inside.

After walking through the Torii gate, I slightly shivered- must be the cold? I carefully opened and closed the sliding wooden gate encompassing the outer courtyard. Once I entered, the temple was beautiful, with a slightly raised wooden pathway surrounded by two well-kept rock gardens. The path was about fifteen feet(~4.6 meters) long, then expanding into a larger square of about fifteen feet by fifteen feet with three sliding doors leading into the main building in the middle of each side. In the middle of the square, there was a raised table at about my waist height (3ft/.92m) with various markings on the side and incense burning in the middle along with a small box. To the left and right of it were two low tables with mats beneath them.

I approached the table in the middle before realizing I really had no idea what to do at a shrine. Probably should've googled that before coming up to a shrine, but better late than never. Luckily, I had service up here. I read the article for an awkward five minutes or so until I got the full gist of what I had to do. Discreetly drop the coin in the box, then clap twice and bow. Easy enough.

I fished out a 100 yen coin from my wallet, dropped it in with a satisfying thud, then clapped twice and bowed as best and deep as I could. Immediately, the door in front of me slid open, revealing Akeno dressed as a Miko. She's a shrine maiden? I fully stood up, sheepishly rubbing the back of my head.

"Ara ara John-kun, you've found me in my shrine all alone. I wonder what you'll do to me?"

That was expected. Time to apply the lessons from earlier today. I looked at her in the eyes, moving to the side of the table as she approached me. I decided to respond in Japanese.

"Well first off Akeno, I didn't know this was your shrine. I was just looking for some answers and some alone time."

I knew I had fucked up somewhere when she stopped moving and blushed while giggling.

"Ufufufu, John-kun is so direct. Calling me like that when we've barely known each other for a day?"

"That's not what I meant..."

She started moving faster while I waved my hands in protest and backed up. It would be for the best if I only spoke English from now on.

"You definitely meant something by that."

At this point, I was standing at the edge of the platform and she was about two feet away from me. I reminded myself to look at her eyes, and I failed immediately. It was worth a try. I had to rally back here and remember what I came for.

"What's really going on here?"

She paused, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"This whole situation. The two most popular girls in school don't just suddenly make friends with a transfer student. And I get that Kuoh Academy is rich and all, but isn't it a bit of a coincidence that those two girls and the Student Council President speak perfect English and Japanese?"

Her expression neutralized, and I started slowly walking forward.

"What are you trying to do? Scam me? Kidnap me? Is this just a big prank?"

She held that same neutral expression as I stood over her. She looked up at me, responding in a hopeful tone.

"Why don't you just trust us?"

"I've been rejected one too many times to get led on."

(I also over analyze everything, but I really liked that one-liner.)

She nervously nodded. We were getting somewhere.

"It'd be best if we talked about this over tea."

* * *

She walked off into the door on the left, opening and closing it with a shudder that permeated through the otherwise silent shrine. I sat down on the mat at the corresponding table and pulled out my phone.

It was about ten, so I decided to text Issei that I'll be back much later than expected. Looks like tonight is going to be a long night. While I was waiting, I decided to absorb my surroundings.

I looked up at the moonless night with some stars, and I realized I was completely out of my element. I was in Japan, in a private Shinto shrine whose maiden just happened to be one of the hottest girls I've seen. I should be an anxiety-riddled mess. Why am I so comfortable here?

I shoved away those thoughts for another time as I heard the same shudder coming from my left. Akeno entered the courtyard, holding two traditional Japanese teacups and a kettle.

"Do you need any help?"

"No, I don't. I appreciate the offer though."

She smiled at me, but this one felt much more genuine than the teasing ones. She laid out the cups and pot, filling my cup then hers up. She sat down afterward. I took a sip.

"This is really good, Akeno. Thanks."

"Thank you, it's my pleasure."

She slightly blushed before taking a sip herself.

I decided to take a risk first.

"Well, I do realize it's hard to tell someone you barely know anything about why you're being friendly or whatever else you're doing. So, I'll go through my backstory first and give a proper introduction I guess."

She seemed intrigued and I took that as a sign to continue.

"I was born and raised in Port Hueneme, California. It's a small beach city about an hour north of Los Angeles. My mom is white and my dad is black, and we were happy until my mom cheated on my dad when I was eight. It was hard to look at my mom in the eyes after I found out what happened"

She seemed to perk up at the mention of my parent's ethnicities and the way my family broke up, listening more intently.

"And that brings us to now. I'm John Faraday, a 17-year-old guy who thinks he knows everything but really doesn't know what he's doing. I put too much faith in other people but my ultimate fear is getting betrayed. I don't have an answer to what I am or who or what I want to be. All I know is that I'm competitive and I like to learn things. I came here because I needed a change of pace, but this was certainly not what I was expecting."

I leaned back, expecting her to laugh or worse, just say ok and never talk to me again. Her violet eyes seemed full of conflict and she was clearly deciding what to say. After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, she began whispering in a trembling voice.

"My mother was a shrine maiden who met my father when he showed up on her doorstep, dying. She nursed him back to health and they fell in love, and I was born as a result. My father was...different, and my mom's family hated me and my father, so they sent people to kill us. They killed my mother and almost killed me, too. My father could've protected us, but he was gone! He was the reason my mother died! I hate him and everything he is!"

Her voice faltered at her declaration, and her tears streamed down her cheeks, falling towards the ground. I put my eyebrows together in concern and moved next to her, holding her head to my chest. I had never done this before, but I guess it worked by the way she drew herself into me. I held her for who knows how long, stroking her back until she stopped crying.

"What could make you so different that those bastards would want to kill you over it?"

She sniffled before standing up, revealing one bat-like wing and another ebony wing with feathers.

"They're so ugly, aren't they? I'm not even human. I'm just an unnatural hybrid that isn't even supposed to exist. Feel free to leave now."

She had her eyes closed, bracing for my reaction. I stood up and stared in awe at her wings. My gut screamed at me to run, but this was still the same Akeno who had teased me, helped me with my homework, and reached out to me, even if it was for just one day. She helped me at my most vulnerable, and even if this was all one big joke, I'll be damned if I become an asshole because of it.

"Akeno, look at me."

She opened her vulnerable and hopeful eyes slowly, looking at me.

"I have a lot of questions, but I can say that you and everything about you is beautiful. You may not believe me, but it is true. Us hybrids don't have a set path ahead of us to follow. We're dropped into the world with different issues than our parents ever had to experience, and it's up to us to solve them. We have no references, and we have to find our own path to acceptance. It's a hard journey, but all of us have to make it. I'm not done with my own myself, but what I do know is that only by accepting all of the aspects that make us unique will we be able to fulfill our true potential. I'll be there for you every step of the way Akeno, helping you in whatever way you need to ultimately accept yourself and quell this inner turmoil. I hope you'll do the same for me."

Her expression remained the same, I don't think all of what I said had quite processed yet. I decided to continue.

"So no, Akeno, I will not be leaving anytime soon. I'll be here as long as you can tolerate me."

She rushed forward, tightly embracing me and muttering "Thank you." over and over again. I guess I had done some good after all.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So I didn't plan for this chapter to go this way, but it just kinda happened as I was writing it. I hope everything isn't moving too fast, and I'm sure it's annoying for you guys to have to read that in every note I leave, but it's my main doubt when I'm writing these chapters. Also, it's my first time writing such an emotional scene in a long time, so please give me your thoughts on that and the extended dialogue. Do you like the story development? Should I shorten the dialogue? Make the story more lighthearted?

**Thanks for reading, and please follow, favorite, or leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Key:

**Powerful being talking**

**[Powerful being talking telepathically]**

'Thinking'

"Speaking vocally"

Disclaimer:

I do not own any characters or content in the Highschool DxD universe.

Author's Note:

As you guys can probably tell, the pacing for this will be quite slow, especially at the beginning. It'll be heavy on the dialogue and character interactions, and if I do that right, then it'll make the action moments really special. By being able to relate and see why/how characters are interacting with each other, it makes the story come to life. In my eyes, there should always be something at stake in a fight, and if you understand the characters, you can understand the implications of those stakes and the consequences if they lost or won. Essentially, you care about them more. I don't want this to be just another story where you can skim through it and not remember the name of the protagonist(which I have done to many other fics). I want this to be a story with both hard-hitting emotional moments as well as just pure lighthearted fluff, with everything in between. I'll do my best to make sure that this cast of characters come alive for you guys.

In regards to John and his power- some of them will be revealed this chapter, but not the full extent. John will be powerful, but he will also scale with his opponents. This is a bit of a lengthy note this time, and for all those who read through this, I hope it was worthwhile. Thank you for reading and here's the chapter!

* * *

**Class 3-A, Kuoh Academy**

**12 PM, Tuesday**

I took off my glasses as I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to wake up. Last night being a really long night is an understatement. Akeno didn't let go of me after our conversation last night, and while we didn't do anything, she answered all of my questions. Turns out supernatural beings exist. Akeno went over all of the history of the Great War between the three races and elaborated on the basics, going into depth in the devil's peerage system for some reason. We had luckily gone to school pretty early at my insistence and avoided the vast majority of the crowd that would spread rumors about Akeno and I coming to school together. No doubt it would be out by now, though.

"John-kun, it's lunch time~ Let's go, sleepyhead!"

I had a feeling that this wouldn't be good for my personal safety.

* * *

**Kuoh Academy**

First off, I gotta give a shoutout to my amazing class 3-A for not obsessing over Rias and Akeno's actions. God bless them(and he's real apparently). It was nice having a bubble of apathy, but I had a rude awakening ahead.

As I was about five feet(1.5m) away from the door to the hallway, Akeno grabbed my left arm, holding it between her...assets. Kinda expected, not a super big deal for me. But then, Rias grabs my right arm and does the same thing. I tried to move, but they had my arms on lockdown. I resisted as long as I could, but considering Akeno and most likely Rias were supernatural beings, it was futile. I looked at Akeno and Rias, pleading. Akeno had her usual teasing face and just smiled at me and Rias was grinning and had an amused sparkle in her eyes. We moved closer and closer.

"Ladies, please. Can we consider another way to get to where we're eating? Maybe I jump out the window and you guys just walk? No?"

They opened the door and whispers immediately broke out in what seemed like the entire school population waiting outside. Did they not have anything better to do?

I decided to stop actively resisting and stood up fully. Nothing I could do now anyway. As we walked through the hallways and outside paths to the old school building, I caught countless murderous, jealous, and confused looks.

The things I do in the name of good fun.

That's what I like to tell myself, at least.

* * *

**Old School Building, Kuoh Academy**

As soon as we stepped into the old school building, Akeno and Rias released their death grip on my arm and fucking lost it. I crossed my arms and looked away.

"Did you see his face when we went out of the classroom?"

"He was so scared! I swear he saw his life flash before his eyes!"

They doubled over laughing.

"I'll get you guys back for this. When you least expect it, when you just put your guard down, you will regret this."

That seemed to shut them up for now. I looked around the regal and old-fashioned interior that was straight out of the 1800s and realized I had no idea why we were here.

"Why did you guys take me here?"

Rias walked forward to the end of the hallway, still smiling.

"This is the Occult Research Club's headquarters. It's also where we eat lunch and generally hang out."

So Rias is most definitely a devil, based on what Akeno had told me. Explains everything, honestly. Based on Akeno's wings, she's a reincarnated devil which makes Rias her king, I guess. I probably should mention Issei's situation to her then, just in case I can't do anything if Issei gets harmed or killed by Raynare(most likely a fallen angel).

"Hold on, Rias. Could we talk really quick?"

She nodded, intrigued and walked over to me. I had no idea where Akeno had went.

"I'll get straight to the point. Yesterday, Issei Hyoudou got asked out on a date by what I believe to be a fallen angel named Yuuma Amano. Their date is tomorrow at six and they're meeting at the mall. I'll be following them, but if something happens that I'm not able to deal with, I'd like for you to be aware of the situation."

Rias nodded gravely.

"Understood, I'll keep an eye on it and intervene if necessary. We should probably exchange numbers as well."

I smiled at her as we put our numbers into each other's phones.

"Thanks, Rias. I really appreciate it."

She blushed a little bit before seeming to remember something.

"Wait for a second, how do you know about the supernatural?"

I fucked up. I'm pretty sure Akeno told me specifically not to tell Rias, especially this quickly. I was doubly dead, now. I probably wouldn't get far from lying to Rias though.

"Uhhh... Akeno told me last night... but please don't tell her that I told you that."

Rias raised an eyebrow, then an amused expression crossed her features.

"I don't know...Akeno's in the room over..."

She started walking away before I ran over to her and got on my knees.

"No please..I'll do anything!"

Her face was the definition of smug.

"Anything?"

I nodded.

"Remember this, then. I'll call it in later. Come on, let's get eating before lunch ends."

I gladly followed.

* * *

**Dreamscape**

**? AM, Wednesday**

I looked around, confused. I was in front of a medieval castle in the middle of rolling grasslands. The gate was open, so I decided to step into it. After entering the main courtyard, I realized that the lack of people was made up by the sheer abundance of skeletons. It felt like I broke a bone every step that I took. My anxiety was starting to grow exponentially. I was fully aware that I was dreaming, so why hadn't I woken up yet?

I decided to run to a door on my right, opening it, revealing the inner workings of the castle. There were fewer skeletons here, thankfully. As I wandered around, I saw a group of three armored skeletons, seemingly walking together before they died. On one of the chest pieces, an azure banner with three gold crowns was emblazoned. King Arthur's insignia? Why?

After wandering about the halls and passing hundreds of skeletons, I finally arrived on what seemed like the throne room. There was a purple rug covering the floor, with the same azure banners displayed on the ceiling. At the end of the hall, there was a raised gold throne with a skeleton adorned with a crown and holding a sword that radiated immense light and power. To the right was another smaller throne with another figure with a smaller crown, and to the left, there was another skeleton grasping a crystal ball in his right hand.

The sword seemed to call out to me, and I edged towards it, avoiding another skeleton on the floor as I did. As I got closer, I could see my reflection in the pristine blade. My hand slowly reached out to the grip, but when I was just about to grab it, the skeleton on the left's head sat up and looked at me with white eyes. Then, a booming voice filled my head.

**[That is for another time. You will need my powers soon, chosen descendant.]**

* * *

**Hyoudou Residence**

**6 AM, Wednesday**

My eyes shot open as I awoke panting in a cold sweat. I was scared shitless. Everything about that dream had seemed so real... and the throne room was somehow more terrifying than walking over hundreds of dead people's bones. I needed to talk to Rias, she might be able to make some sense out of this.

I tapped on her contact, waiting for her to pick up as I put her on speaker and started to get dressed.

"Hi, John. What do you need?"

She sounded stressed and sleep-deprived. Maybe about the Issei situation?

"I had a really weird dream that I need to talk to you about."

She chuckled in response.

"Wow, already sharing _that_ type of dream with me?"

I momentarily paused as I looked for my black hoodie to wear over my school uniform.

"I walked into that one, didn't I?"

"Yep, you did."

I put the hoodie around my shoulders and zipped it up before beginning to look for my glasses.

"Well, it's not that type of dream. I think it's about a sacred gear or something like that."

Her voice seemed to perk up at the mention of a sacred gear.

"Interesting. So, where do you want to meet?"

I put my glasses on and slung my school bag around my shoulder, picking up my phone and putting it off speaker.

"Is the park fine?"

"Sure, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Cya there."

I hung up and quietly headed downstairs, grabbing two bananas and putting on my shoes before I headed out the door. I decided to quickly text Issei before I did my trademarked fast walk to the park.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I'm doing something before school but we can walk home together after. Cya then."

Issei along with the rest of the small male population had been fuming after the whole lunchtime experience, which was understandable. As long as I didn't get jumped after school, I would be fine. I put my phone away and extended my stride as long as I could and pumping my arms. It looked extremely dumb, but at this speed, I'll be there in ten minutes.

* * *

**Kuoh Park**

**6:30 AM, Wednesday**

When I got to the park, I saw Rias sitting on a bench, wearing a black and gold clickbait hoodie with her hands in the pocket. I didn't think those would be popular over here.

"Hey, sorry for the wait. You wanna walk?"

"Sure.

She looked up at me with a strained smile. Her eyes were clearly hiding something else and she had bags under her eyes, which would be normal for anyone but Rias. My dream could wait.

"Are you ok?"

She shrugged.

"I've been better."

That was a gross understatement.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She sighed before responding.

"I'll tell you another time."

I still haven't known Rias long enough to really pressure her to talk, so I'll leave it be if she wants it to. If she really wanted to, she could kill me on the spot, so I'll wait.

"Fair enough."

I gave her a summary of what had happened in my dream, making sure to tone down the courtyard a bit. That will stay in my mind for a while. I also decided to give some of my own theories after I was done.

"So based on the King Arthur emblem, then I'm assuming that Arthur was holding Excalibur, Gwendolyn was in the right throne, and Merlin was in the left one."

She nodded, thinking for a bit before responding.

"Yeah, but Excalibur should be split into seven pieces currently, so might be just a representation. I think the more important thing is how Merlin called you his chosen descendant. Merlin's bloodline have all historically been extremely powerful magicians with unprecedented magic potential for humans, but they disappeared for unknown reasons about 300 years ago."

"I'd be a really good bishop based on that, wouldn't I?"

She looked at me, surprised.

"I guess Akeno told you more than I thought. But yes, you would be. I don't want to pressure you to join my peerage, but the position is available if you want it."

"I'll consider it. I still want to get to know you more and meet the rest of your peerage besides Akeno before I commit to anything. I don't really have any pride in being a human or anything, but I should probably think about it for a while before I sign away my rights to complete free will."

"Yeah, I understand. Feel free to ask me any questions that you have."

* * *

**Kuoh Park**

**8 PM, Wednesday**

This was it. Issei and Yuuma had been on their date for two hours so far and he had led her to the park, according to the plan that he and I made on the walk home. Of course, I hadn't told him why I was so concerned about where he was going, but he needed it anyways. The poor guy had almost frozen up by the time the date started, and to be honest, it was going decently by Issei's standards. He had managed to keep eye contact for about half of the time and he wasn't too awkward.

Anyways, I was now sitting at the top of a tree at the edge of the park, looking at the fountain where Issei and Yuuma were. Issei pulled out a pink bracelet that I had picked out with him earlier today, and Yuuma actually blushed and hugged Issei. They broke up, and Yuuma said something to Issei. I braced in my hideout, ready to intervene. If anything was going to happen, it was going to happen now. Issei finally answered her, looking at her intently.

I guess whatever had been said was pretty significant, because Yuuma unveiled her wings, flying a few feet off the ground. I sent Rias a prepared text message, calling for her to come over asap. I began to quietly run to Issei from the side of Yuuma, getting about halfway until she revealed her "true" form, going from a pink sundress to being naked, and then to wearing a very revealing leather BDSM outfit. I was close enough now to hear Issei's confusion, only a couple seconds away from shouting distance. I looked up a second later, only to see Yuuma holding a spear that seemed to be made out of light at Issei. It's now or never.

* * *

Issei's POV

My date with Yuuma-I mean Raynare-san was going well until now. The big plus about my current situation was that I got to see her naked, but then the next thing I knew, she was asking me to die for her or something like that. My entire brain was focused on the view. I realized what was going on by the time she summoned a spear from her hand, but I realized I couldn't move. Would I really die in this shitty park just when I went on my first date? What a harem king I am. I stared at Raynare-san hopelessly as she threw the spear in what seemed like slow motion before getting distracted by something mid-throw. The spear flew, grazing my shoulder. I fell down from the sheer force, but I also heard a new voice. Was that John-kun?

"Hey bitch! Pick on someone your own size!"

"Oh it's fucking you again. I knew leaving you alive would bite me in the ass later! Fuck off and die, filthy human!"

I sat up, trying to get a view. John-kun had narrowly avoided another spear from Raynare-san. He dodged and weaved in front of me, saying things under his breath with gritted teeth.

"Merlin or Rias now would be a good time to show up!"

Suddenly, John-kun seemed to have more speed, dodging more easily. Over the course of a few seconds, an armor of semi-transparent red energy seemed to engulf him. When he was fully encased, he stopped moving. Raynare-san tried to throw spear after spear at him, but they all shattered on the armor. John-kun first looked down at his open hands for a second before looking up at Raynare-san with white eyes that radiated white light.

**"Fallen Angel Raynare. For betraying and leading on Issei as well as surmount to kill him and me, I'm going to kill you. Any last words?"**

Raynare-san looked shell-shocked, turning around to try to desperately fly away. She looked back and shouted, delirious.

"Don't look at me with those eyes, Merlin! We slaughtered all of you in the War! How do you still exist!?"

John-kun looked impassively at her, aiming at her back with his left hand shaped like a gun. His booming voice rang out across the park a second time.

"**I think, therefore I am."**

John-kun pulled the "trigger", firing a shining red bullet that came out of his finger. I watched breathlessly as it struck in the middle of the back of Raynare-san's head, causing her to drop dead to the ground. John-kun turned towards me as the red energy on his body dissipated and his eyes turned to their normal brown.

"Are you good, Issei?"

"Yeah, for the most part."

He walked over to me, offering his hand to help me up.

"Look, I know that you must have a lot of questions. Rias should be here soon, and she can explain this way better than I ca-"

Blood was sprayed all over me as a spear punctured through where John-kun's heart should be. He started falling forward, his face lit up in surprise and eyes lifeless. I caught him, still comprehending what just happened. There he was, being a badass the moment before, and the next he was dead in my arms. As I was still processing, I heard laughing from above me. My head snapped up to see a man in a trench coat, flying with the same wings as Raynare-san.

"Idiot shouldn't have let his guard down so soon, it's his fault. You'll be joining him soon, I can't have any loose ends."

**How dare he?**

My vision pulsed red. I stared down at John-kun's lifeless body, anger filling me by the second.

John-kun had just saved my life, and before that, he had been the best friend that I had ever had. He was there for everything since he had come into my life.

**Now this man kills him in front of me then has the audacity to laugh?**

**I'm going to kill him.**

**[Glad to see you have a semblance of a backbone, partner.]**

I heard a voice in my head, but I didn't care. All I wanted to do was drag this imposter of an angel down and rip him apart.

A red gauntlet with a flashing emerald in the middle of it appeared on my right arm, and it felt like my strength doubled. It doesn't matter, he was going to die either way.

I took a running start, then jumped at the murderer with my gauntlet aimed straight at his face.

"**You've made a grave mistake, Fallen."**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Bit of a cliffhanger, but the chapter was already getting long so I decided to cut it short. Once again, let me know what you guys think about everything.

**We've also reached over 1150 views on the story! Thanks for all of the support, and please follow, favorite, or leave a review. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Key:

**Powerful being talking**

**[Powerful being talking telepathically]**

'Thinking'

"Speaking vocally"

Disclaimer:

I do not own any characters or content in the Highschool DxD universe.

**Author's Note:**

**Hi! I'm looking for a beta reader to proofread my chapters before I post them and to discuss plot ideas with. If you'd like to be involved with the making of the story and you are active, please PM me!**

Some of you might've noticed that I changed the logo for the story. I'll most likely be changing it as new developments happen/new arcs start in the story unless I really like whatever logo I settle on(who knows, I might not change from now). Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Camelot**

**?**

John's POV

I don't know how I got here or what I was doing before, but I was now sitting at a large medieval banquet table in the castle I walked around in my dream. It was a lively feast, with numerous people around me in a table that seemed to stretch forever down the hall. But, they were all unfocused, and not paying me any attention. I heard their voices but I couldn't interact with them. I felt pressure on my head and I reached up to feel the cool metal of a crown. Looking down, I saw I was wearing a relatively comfortable navy tunic with the symbol of King Arthur and brown cotton pants. I turned my head to my left as I heard a deep and commanding yet kind voice talk to me.

"Come on John, you need to eat to keep growing."

It was Arthur. He had it all: the voice, the crown, the blonde hair, and the blue eyes. He smiled at me as I stared at him in shock.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost, which it pretty accurate I suppose."

He continued, gesturing to the seat to the right of mine with his left hand.

"To your right is Merlin Ambrose, your grandfather. You can thank his extended lifetime and reversed aging for that."

I looked to my right at the young man that looked to be in his early 20s. He looked just like my dad with his raven hair and brown eyes. He spoke with a vibrant and wise voice.

"Nice to finally meet you, grandson. I'm sad that we didn't get to meet while I was alive, but we have all been watching you since the beginning."

"Why isn't my last name Ambrose then?"

He sighed and his expression darkened.

"Your father changed his last name to avoid those that wanted to use or kill Merlin's descendants. The main branch of the Ambrose family was eliminated in the late stages of the Great War by the Fallen Angels and your father had no desire to get involved with the Pendragons for protection. I supported his decision as I was planning to finally pass on as soon as your grandmother did the same."

I guess that my father knew more than he ever let on. If I ever got back to the real world, I'd have to talk to him.

Arthur spoke to my left, continuing on what he was planning to say before.

"I'm...sorry that you had to see Camelot in that way for your first time, but it was necessary. You're different than anyone else who has ever been here before. Let me explain. You're currently in the "afterlife" of all of the descendants of the Knights of the Round Table as well as anyone else in Camelot's royal court."

"So I'm dead?"

Arthur nodded before smiling again.

"For now. Another fallen that you didn't see stabbed you in the heart. For the first time activating your powers, you did very well. It's unfortunate that it ended this way, though."

How could someone react to hearing that they just died? I guess I'm just going to eat with Arthur and Merlin for eternity, which isn't so bad of an option.

"Don't worry, Rias should be reviving you soon. That'll be quite interesting."

That's good to hear. Arthur continued.

"Since we have limited time here, I'll get right to it. Somehow, someway, you are related to both of us. You have the potential to be more powerful than either of us in our primes and you could give the top ten of the world a real run for their money if you play your cards right. Hence the special treatment."

Fuck yeah! All of this was great to hear, maybe except for the fact that I was getting reincarnated by Rias so early. I was planning on joining her anyways, so it's not that big of a deal. As I looked, though, Arthur began to slowly go out of focus. I panicked, looking to Merlin as I saw him doing the same.

"Will I be able to talk to you guys again?"

Merlin answered, smiling at me again.

"We'll be there in your head when you need it. You can also visit Camelot in your dreams if you want and meet the rest of the court. Anyways, Rias is starting the reincarnation process now. She's in for quite a surprise. We'll talk to you later, John."

My vision rapidly grew more unfocused as black walls began to cut off the sides of my vision. I accepted it, closing my eyes and blacking out.

* * *

**Kuoh Park**

**8:05 PM, Wednesday**

Rias' POV

Why was that barrier so strong?

I really didn't want John to join my peerage like this, but it's much better than letting him die. At least he'll be there for Riser and that whole shitshow.

Also, Issei is the Red Dragon Emperor(A/N: Might also refer to it as Sekiryuutei from now on), which is one of the best and worst things. At least he'll be on our side(presumably) but he's also the weakest Sekiryuutei in history. I'll reincarnate him when he's ready or when Riser calls if he's willing.

Back to the present, Rias. Issei was passed out after he punched the fallen's head off. That bastard had it coming to him. I had just pulled out my box of evil pieces out of my pocket dimension and had just cast the spell on John to determine what pieces would work the best for him. It would evaluate their current stats as well as their potential and then vibrate the pieces that allowed reincarnation. I placed the red magic circle on John's lifeless chest, waiting for it to work.

Why is the circle turning gold?

Suddenly, my remaining knight and bishop piece vibrated, violently shaking my hand. The spell was configured to only signal one-piece or multiple pawns, this should be impossible! My knight and bishop pieces continued to vibrate until they levitated out of the box before each one began to change from the classic white to a black mutation piece. I was amazed. This had only been documented once as happening when Tannin had been reincarnated by Mephisto Pheles.

Then, something even more strange happened. The mutated knight and bishop began to circle around each other rapidly, spinning closer and closer together until they combined into a weird combination of the two pieces, with knight heads sprouting out on either side of the top of the bishop piece.

This reincarnation process was literally unheard of. To be able to corrupt the detection spell and for all of the preceding events to happen while he was dead meant a mind-boggling magical power and potential. John might be able to solo Riser and his peerage.

The piece slowly stopped spinning in place, stopping for a second before going into John's chest.

* * *

John's POV

I gasped for air and sat up instantly, panting. I was alive again and back at the park. I didn't get much time to enjoy it as a red blur slammed into me and started hugging the living daylights out of me.

Rias dug her face into my shoulder as we embraced. Looking over her shoulder, I saw Issei (hopefully) passed out next to the fountain. I turned back to Rias as she looked up at me with soft eyes.

"I'm sorry that you had to join my peerage like this. I really didn't want it to be in these circumstances, trust me."

I grinned at her and rubbed her back a bit.

"It's my fault that I died, not yours. Can't change the past."

She seemed to find some sort of comfort in that answer, at least. She looked like she was conflicted, though.

"What's up?"

"Well, during your reincarnation something extremely weird happened. The best way I can describe it is that one of my knight and bishop pieces mutated then combined into a single piece before reincarnating you on their own accord. I don't think anything like that has ever happened before."

Sounds like it was interesting, just like Arthur and Merlin said. To be honest, though, I was only half-listening that whole time, as my partner downstairs had finally woken up from the afterlife, and being in such close proximity of someone you have a massive crush on wasn't doing him any favors. I needed to bring this to a more private area.

"I think I know why that happened, and I can explain that to you once we get out of this very public area. Should probably get Issei back home too."

She did one of her very cute blushes again before rapidly getting off of me and coughing nervously. The restraint that would be required from here on out would have to be immense.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll come with you."

I nodded as I walked over to pick up Issei. I lifted him up with some effort, but noticeably less than what it would've normally taken as a human.

"Why is he passed out again?"

"He's the red dragon emperor."

I have no idea what that means. I turned towards Rias and we began walking back home together. Hopefully, nobody would question me having Issei slung over my back.

"So... that means what?"

"He has one of the most powerful sacred gears on the planet, which can make him extremely powerful. He punched the head off of the fallen that killed you."

"I'll have to thank him when he comes to then. Are you planning on reincarnating him?"

"If it all possible, then yes. He'd be an extremely useful asset, even if he's the weakest red dragon emperor in history."

"Makes sense. Is there a particular reason why you're recruiting for your peerage now or are opportunities just happening?"

Her expression darkened, which made me worry. I'd have to ask her about that later if she didn't tell me.

"A mix of both, I'll elaborate on it later."

"Sounds good to me."

We continued in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes until we stopped in front of my front door. I turned to her as I readjusted Issei again.

"So I assume you're going to do some devil magic to make this all seem normal?"

She nodded.

"Exactly, just play along."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Bit of a short chapter this time, but I'm busy for a day or two so I decided that I'd rather post than delay that long. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

**Please follow, favorite, or leave a review!**

Just a note that Arthur and Merlin will both be inside John's head and he'll be able to interact with them all of the time similar to Ddraig or Albion. I was originally planning to do something completely different with John and his power/SG but I liked the way this turned out. It should also be self-explanatory that one of the bishops won't be in Rias' peerage(Asia/Gasper) but you'll have to keep reading to find out which one that is.


	6. Chapter 6

Key:

**Powerful being talking**

**[Powerful being talking telepathically]**

'Thinking'

"Speaking vocally"

Disclaimer:

I do not own any characters or content in the Highschool DxD universe.

**Author's Note:**

**Hi! I'm still looking for a beta reader to proofread my chapters before I post them and to discuss plot ideas with. If you'd like to be involved with the making of the story and you are active, please PM me!**

Sorry for the late update, I've had the flu for five days- so that's fun!

* * *

**Rias' Apartment**

**11 PM, Wednesday**

Using some devil magic, Rias had somehow convinced my host parents that Issei had fainted randomly when he was going to the mall to shop for clothes. She also said that she erased the concept of Yuuma/Raynare from the minds of all of the humans who had heard or seen her, which. Imagining what the top-level beings could do if Rias can do this is both frightening and exciting. The fact that I had the potential to be on the top of the power ranking for the supernatural world kicked my competitiveness into overdrive. I'd have to start training ASAP.

I fidgeted with the empty glass cup I had in my hand as I sat at Rias' black dining room table. Rias was a lot more western than any of the Japanese families I had been visiting, which made sense. It felt like all I drank was tea and water, which isn't necessarily bad, but I was beginning to miss the familiarity of home.

Rias' apartment was quite nice. I think that a penthouse would be the more apt word to describe it, as it was basically the entire top floor of one of the only large apartment buildings in Kuoh. The overall design and decor were sleek, modern, and simple, with the combined living room, kitchen, and dining room that I'd seen in many Japanese houses. To my right was a large flat screen with a large black leather corner couch and a matching loveseat and to my right was a large marble themed kitchen with an island in the middle.

I was interrupted from my musing when Rias entered the room wearing a light blue nightgown, drying her hair with a towel before wrapping it around her head and sitting across from me. I lost again. Rias looked a bit troubled as she began talking.

"You're welcome to stay here if you want, I'm not doing anything else for the rest of the night."

I put down my cup and opened my hands on the table like a book as I responded.

"I don't have anything to do anyway, and I don't really feel comfortable going back to Issei's. I wasn't planning on going to school tomorrow anyway; I want to read up on magic and peerages if you don't mind."

Rias nodded.

"The day after the reincarnation is pretty rough. I don't know how you're not passed out right now, but there's a first time for everything I suppose. So, it's fine. I have to be in the clubroom for some family business so I won't be going either. I have a small library there as well."

I instinctively grabbed my cup again, and Rias' eyes widened as I did.

"Oh I'm so sorry, where are my manners! Do you want anything to drink or eat? I have Coke, tea, and water to drink and some cookies and Pocky to eat."

I handed my cup to her as she stood up and headed towards the kitchen.

"Sure. Can I have a Coke and some Pocky please?"

Rias nodded and opened the fridge. I decided to ask her about the thing that was seemingly still bothering her.

"So, what's up? You've had this weird look on your face today."

She sighed as she turned to the cabinet, pulling out a package of pocky from a box.

"I haven't told Akeno or the rest of my peerage this yet, but you and she will be the most instrumental in helping me out of this situation."

She paused at the counter overlooking the dining and living room and looked at the wall in a distant stare.

"I'm engaged through a marriage contract, and while I've tried to delay it as much as I can, the deadline is approaching. I have to find a way to destroy the contract now, which can only be done by mutual agreement of the two parties, losing my virginity, or a form of combat called a rating game between our two peerages."

"Is devil society so far backwards that they still have marriage contracts? What is this, medieval Europe?"

"Pretty close to it. I'm from one of the 72 Pillars, a group of the highest nobles. Due to the Great War, the number of pure Highclass Devils is extremely low and so everyone is pressured to reproduce and "do their part". Unfortunately, that also means disregarding the wants of the people that are affected."

Even though I completely disagree with it, the logic makes sense. But, the contract needed to be broken. Losing her virginity would be by far the easiest option from what it sounds like, but that's also just as bad as the marriage contract itself. I highly doubt a mutual agreement of the two parties to rip up the contract is likely based on the way that she's been acting, so a rating game it is.

Rias placed my cup full of Coke and the package of Pocky in front of me before wrapping around the table and sitting down.

"I'm sorry that I had to lay this on you, especially after what just happened. If it's too much, I understand."

I shook my head, looking at her in the eyes.

"Look, if it wasn't for you, I'd actually be dead right now. Even if I wasn't a part of your peerage, you're too good of a person and friend for me to let that happen to you."

She looked stunned initially, with her face lighting up in a blush. Is she not used to compliments like this?

"Th-thank you, John. Uhh...we should get to work."

I raised an eyebrow at her changing the topic, but I'd let it be. Had I said something wrong?

Rias seemed to return to her normal self, grabbing a hefty old book out of thin air and holding it in her hand.

"This is the official rulebook for rating games. Everyone in the peerage has their own personal copy, so here you go. When you're reincarnated you automatically gain speaking knowledge of all human and devil languages as well as writing knowledge of devil ruins, so don't worry about reading it."

I nodded as she handed me the book. It looked like it was about a thousand pages, which made it an issue for a later version of myself to handle. I set it aside as Rias continued.

"So, rating games are essentially a battle between two kings under the guise of a chess game with the peerage pieces replacing the normal chess pieces. Pawns are able to promote in the enemy base, castling is an option, and when a king retires, the match is over."

"Retires?"

"Oh, sorry. The referees won't let you die and they'll teleport you out once you're unconscious, about to die or give up. You can't return back, obviously."

I nodded.

"That's the basic rundown. There's a lot of history behind it and other rules that I'd like you to know, just in case. Any other questions?"

"Nope."

"Good. How much time do we have, I wonder?"

Rias looked at the clock behind me and smiled.

"Oh, perfect! Just enough time for an episode of anime! Come on, John!"

Fuckin' weebs, man.

* * *

**1:30 AM, Thursday**

Note to self: when Rias says one episode of anime she means enough to get me emotionally invested in the story and addicted to the series. It was a big mistake starting Shokugeki with her, but do I regret it?

Absolutely not. After all, I was still spending time with Rias in her apartment and we were actually enjoying our time together. Just keep this up, I ask her out, we date for a couple of years, then get married, have kids, and live happily in a nuclear family until the ripe old age of...

Hold up.

I turned to my other side in my bed in Rias' guest room, contemplating everything. I might've just royally fucked myself for eternity based on my dick.

This has happened a lot of times before, and I had fallen for the trap. Not the reincarnation part, but the fact that I assumed that Rias is a good person(which she's backed up so far) based on her attractiveness(thanks, hormones!) and that Rias would even consider a relationship with me, a person who she just reincarnated. Maybe she was just being nice to me to get me in her peerage and past this marriage? Nothing I can really do about it now.

And then there's Akeno as well... I'm surprised I haven't seen her since Issei's incident, but she has been acting a bit differently towards me than the usual teasing. It seems more serious and an actual person than whatever that mask is that she puts up all the time, but I'm assuming that's what happens when someone actually becomes her friend. I'll leave it at that for the sake of my own mental state. Thinking too much about these things isn't good for my mental health, but it's only natural.

* * *

**ORC Clubroom**

**11:30 AM, Thursday**

Today has been quite uneventful so far, besides the introduction of myself to the rest of the peerage before school started, but there were really only two people: Koneko and Kiba. My first impression of them was that Koneko seemed extremely reserved and Kiba gave off the vibe was someone I want to make friends with. Just seemed like a cool guy. I didn't get to see much of either of them before school started, but it was nice to see the rest of the team I'd be working with.

Issei was still out for the count at home. He'd be back in a day or so, but recovering that much energy for a human took a long time. Still weird to talk about humans as if I'm not one.

Anyways, I've been reading the rating games rules and I'm thirty pages in. It's all been a super boring introduction and to add to that, reading these runes is exhausting. Rias said I'd get used to it, but it's a grind until then.

Speaking of Rias, she's been quietly working at her desk as I've been laid out on one of the two ornate couches that are in the main clubroom. She's grown increasingly agitated as time has gone on, but I have no idea why.

I found out the reason soon enough when she suddenly spoke.

"John, I have a meeting regarding the engagement in a bit, and since Akeno is at school, I'm able to take you in her place. Do you want to come?"

I marked my place

"Yeah, I'll go. Do I need to dress formally or anything?"

She looked relieved as I answered.

"No, we always attend everything in our school uniforms anyways. A couple of things: don't speak unless you're spoken to, don't punch anything, and try to keep your demeanor as neutral as possible. You don't have to look joyful by any means, but don't kill anyone with your facial expression."

I nodded as she stood up, heading over to a large space in the corner.

"Stand next to me and we'll get going shortly."

After putting on my shoes, I stood next to her as she moved some magic circles around. Once she was done, she looked nervously at me. I smiled at her.

"It'll be ok Rias. We'll talk about it after, it'll be fine."

"I sure hope so."

The next thing I knew, I was being enveloped in a crimson light.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Please follow, favorite, or leave a review!**

I'd just like to take the time to respond publicly to this guest review(long review and rant ahead):

I seriously did NOT want the protagonist to be, under rias.

Firstly,

Will he get the issei harem quartet of, Rias, Akeno, Xenovia & Koneko

as his harem girl's, like 96% of highschool DxD stories already go through with or,

Will he get a different set?

Secondly.

I was kind of hoping you WOULDN'T go with the safe-zone("saved" by rias)

I suppose its too late now.

Thirdly,

The safe-zone's, in Highschool DxD, are as follows,

1\. Being "saved" by rias.

2\. Willingly being reincarnated by rias, or sona.

3\. Getting either peerage's, or both, for all the girl's, as a harem for the original character.

Side note,

Asia Argento, Ravel PHENEX(yes that IS the english translation) and Rossweisse,

are NOT infact counted as harem material, by practically everyone, Asia & Rossweisse,

are mitigated to being side character's, in almost ALL, Original character or self-insert, based stories.

Ravel included, mainly in her case, that she is the,

Red Dragon Emperor, merchandise, general manager.

I would've liked that one, or all, of them, would be chosen instead of the other four,

for the original character.

Those three just do not, get enough "love" either from issei the character,

an original character, or even a self-insert.

All of your points are correct, and I agree with you with everything. Honestly, this has been the best guest review I've seen on this site and actually makes me think about what I'm writing. I'm planning on John having 2-3 girls max, and only two of those are on that list(should be pretty obvious which ones). I don't like this harem BS where Issei or the OC or whoever has 10+ girls that are just on his dick and promptly ignored, so I want to have different pairings than the usual "oh there's a girl available? Put her in a harem." because that really isn't how people work. Even if harems are viewed as normal within devil society, those coming from outside of it should have a bit of a problem with it, shouldn't they?

As for your safe-zones, I agree as well. I could've taken this story a different direction that would've been more original and maybe better, but there's advantages and disadvantages for each approach. For this story, I wanted to go with the familiarity of making characters that I know and work with putting an OC in already existing characters as opposed to making something around the OC. This is probably due to me getting comfortable as an author again from the beginning and I wanted to execute a set vision I had for a story. If I was to write this story again now, I'd most likely go with a different direction. My story called Catastrophe Dragon is basically all original which I may revive later when I have more time(next Spring most likely).

Back to my first point. I will do my best to make sure that if there's a relationship, it'll be one where the girl gets the proper attention or it's implied that she is. Like in my eyes, Issei doesn't deserve Koneko for example. I'm most likely not going to have a chapter highlighting a relationship of two side characters because at the end of the day, the main character is John.

I've also noticed that you basically review the same thing on any other fic with an OC with some personalization to the individual story, but the majority of OC fics are going to appeal to some fucked up version of reality where the want the protagonist to just bulldoze everything and have a massive harem in the process. And to add onto that, having literally the same gamer SG copy pasted from a trend that was started close to two years ago. "ThE mC iS dIfFeReNt" but I digress.

Sorry for the rant. Next chapter will most likely come out sometime later this week or on the weekend and we'll get into Riser!


End file.
